Burgan, Michael. Total Devastation: The Story of Hurricane Katrina.

Burgan, Michael.  Total Devastation: The Story of Hurricane Katrina.  Capstone Publishers  2017  112p  $23.99  ISBN 978-1-4914-8452-4  elem/ms  Series: Tangled History.  Nonfiction  E-BN               

Told from the viewpoints of weather forecasters, hospital workers, police, citizens and ministers in a chronological format, this book takes the reader on a harrowing journey into the aftermath of the hurricane that devastated New Orleans in 2005.  Hurricane Katrina preparations were inadequate, shelters became overcrowded and unlivable, people were stranded in flooded homes, patients needing electronic devices were without power, and hospitals had to evacuate as best they could.  For 48 hours or more, valiant, heroic people did their best to help and care for the thousands who remained in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina broke the levees. The author makes use of a gripping narrative that will stay with the reader long after finishing the book.  This book could serve as a hi/lo reader for middle school. It will fit into discussions of community preparedness, natural disasters, and events that changed people’s lives.  It includes an index, a glossary, follow-up facts (such as the population decline of 200,000 people , including those who did not return after evacuation), a timeline and discussion questions.  Color photos show the breadth of destruction and people’s efforts to rescue others. Strongly recommended for library collections as the narrative format provided by those who lived the event is compelling and the photos make the text come alive.

The series Tangled History includes two new books that offer a look at life-changing events such as the Holocaust and Hurricane Katrina through personal narrative.  Each book includes a timeline, a glossary, discussion questions, index,  and a bibliography. Grades 4-9. Hi/lo for middle school.

           

Summary: Told from the viewpoints of weather forecasters, hospital workers, police, citizens and ministers in a chronological format, this book takes the reader on a harrowing journey through the hurricane that devastated New Orleans in 2005.  Gripping narrative.  Gr 4-9.

Hurricane Katrina, Natural disasters                                                                          --Lois McNicol

Wade, Mary Dodson. Deadly Waves: Tsunamis.

Wade, Mary Dodson.  Deadly Waves: Tsunamis.     Enslow  48p $23.93     978-0-7660-4018-2 elm/ms  Series: Disasters - People in Peril (Enslow) E-BNS

The causes and results of tsunamis are explained, citing three major tsunamis as examples.  On April 1, 1946, there was an earthquake off the coast of Alaska, causing a tsunami that destroyed a lighthouse on Unimak Island.  At the same time the wave moved toward Hawaii.  Many details from eyewitness accounts are included.  The second tsunami cited occurred on December 26, 2004, in the Indian Ocean.  It decimated Sumatra, Sri Lanka, and surrounding areas, killing 280,000 people.  There are now early-warning devises in the Indian Ocean, in addition to the ones in the Pacific Ocean.  The third tsunami detailed happened on March 11, 2011, in Japan.  Besides the loss of life, the text explains the destruction to the fishing industry, farmlands polluted by salt water, and the nuclear-power-plant damage.

The use of first-person reports and photographs both modern and old bring an intimacy and immediacy to the text.  The science is clearly explained.  With the inclusion of the most recent major tsunami in the world, this text is up-to-the-minute, yet very accessible for young students.

This book is very highly recommended for grades 4-9.  There are four titles in the Disasters - People in Peril series.  Each one addresses a different kind of disaster: tsunamis, terrorism, school shootings, and deadly storms. All are up-to-date and highly recommended for grades 4-9.                -- Joan Theal